Thanksgiving will look a bit different this year for four Poplar Bluff Junior High students, Charlie McCullough, Aleigha Williams, Laynie Riggins and Adleigh Burke.
Through hard work and determination these girls took the opportunity to compete for a position on the All-American Dance Team and made the cut.
“We completed a three-day Dance Camp through the National Dance Alliance. When our whole team does this, there are certain girls they select that meet the skill requirements and show that they have what it takes to audition for the National Dance Alliance All-American Dance Team,” said Paige Sheehy, Poplar Bluff Junior High Pom Squad Coach.
“This is my sixth year coaching. I usually have about two girls who qualify get to try out and I usually have one or two make the team — this is the first year I had five that got to audition,” said Sheehy, “I’m super excited.”
The four girls who qualified will now get to perform in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade, they will be arriving in Philadelphia the day before Thanksgiving according to Sheehy.
The girls as well as their parents voiced their excitement about the upcoming event, “This is the oldest running parade in the U.S.,” said mother Kathy Williams.
Sheehy said the girls will likely get to take a tour of Philadelphia and go to dinner with all of the other All-American Team members.
“They worked 21 hours over three days to earn this. So they worked really hard and I’m really proud of them,” said Sheehy.
Dance camps the girls attended typically, according to Sheehy, took place at Skate City, “because we have a large enough area on the floor. We have a sound system for the music. We have bathrooms, we have refreshments for the girls so it’s easy for us to do camp here.”
“They’re going to send us the routine this month and we’re going to learn it and then I think the day before we’re going to do it all together,” said Sheehy, who explained the girls will be responsible for learning the routine on their own before the event. “They actually have to take responsibility as junior high kids to learn the dance that they’re gonna perform.”
The girls expressed their excitement about the opportunity with big smiles, “I want to thank Coach for giving us this opportunity to even have them come here, and us learn the dances,” said Aleigha Williams.